whitepaper Going Global: THE ECOMMERCE ECOSYSTEM IN EUROPE Analyzing the top 3rd-party solution providers in the European ecommerce market.

Transcription

1 whitepaper Going Global: THE ECOMMERCE ECOSYSTEM IN EUROPE Analyzing the top rd-party solution providers in the European ecommerce market.

2 - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe INTRODUCTION 1 INTRODUCTION The European ecommerce industry is one of the fastest growing in the world. With a fast-expanding network of rd-party software solution vendors, it has become difficult for many businesses to determine which platforms will fit into their existing system. The goal of this research-based white paper is to take an unbiased look at the major players and examine the different features, functionality and service levels offered by each. The method from which our results were derived is explained in the first sections of this white paper. We hope that this white paper will serve as a reference for ecommerce professionals across Europe so they are able to take an accurate look at the latest technologies being offered and make more informed business decisions. This is the first in a series that will cover all of the continents. Table of Contents 1 METHODOLOGY CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA TERMINOLOGY ANALYSIS CONCLUSION

3 METHODOLOGY - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe METHODOLOGY This white paper was created with the goal of presenting a classification of the top rd-party ecommerce solution providers specific to the European market. In this scope, OSF evaluated the providers and their solutions/products against a general set of criteria that are described below. We determined the most important factors, such as SLA agreements, security, and integration capability, and ranked each provider using a number scale. Then, each provider was given an overall score by taking the mean of their scores for each section. The results are discussed in more detail in the Conclusion section. Research was performed by the ecommerce market experts at OSF Global Services, and the results were determined using a mathematical formula. By adhering to a numbers-based approach we are able to provide an accurate analysis without the influence of marketing or sales materials, giving decision-makers the insights they need to select a provider. IMPORTANT! Products and solutions with the classification did not have information available for numerical rankings. CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA 1 SLA Evaluates whether or not the provider offers a Service Level Agreement (SLA). Weight: ❷ Ranking: NO 1 point / YES points API Evaluates whether or not the provider has an Application Programming Interface (API). Weight: ❸ Ranking: NO 1 point / YES points Integration Support & Documentation Evaluates whether or not the provider offers support, a dedicated support team and documentation during the development phase. Support can refer to any process aiming to assist during that phase. Documentation can refer to API documentation or any other technical/non-technical resources that clearly describe solution/product components and features, flows and processes, testing and any other resources required for integration.

4 CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe Weight: ❸ Ranking: - Preliminary support, to review and discuss the integration plan, or requirements and technical support during integration 1 point - API documentation instructions helpful documentation integration advice and resources 1 point - Test data/accounts or development sandbox 1 point - At least one pre-built integration (cartridge/extension) for an ecommerce platform 1 point - Case Studies / Developers Wiki / Blog 1 point Post Production Support Evaluates whether or not the provider has an IT support process in place after the integration has been concluded. Weight: ❸ Ranking: - Dedicated support team/person 1, points - Maintenance capabilities 1, points - Portal for customer support 1, points - Ticketing system for customers 1, points /7 Emergency Support Evaluates the possibility to contact a support team/person in a very short period of time. Weight: ❸ Ranking: - Phone support /7 1 point - Live chat support /7 1 point - support /7 1 point - Onsite support 1 point - Remote support 1 point 6 Security Evaluates whether or not the provider has in place security practices that ensure its trustworthiness. This can refer to (but is not limited to) ensuring the security and integrity of all sensitive data, encryptions, storage, audits & certificates, privacy practices etc. Weight: ❷ Ranking: - Data encryption 1 point (to ensure data transit there should exist a secure tunnel protected by an encryption protocol/scheme) - Data storage 1 point (the data that is sent and stored should be encrypted) - Industry certificates 1 point (the rd-party provider should own an industry certificate, i.e. PCI DSS certified) - Privacy Policy/Terms and Conditions 1 point (evaluates how the collected information is used and that the collected data is not provided to rd parties without authorization) - Data backup & restoring 1 point

5 TERMINOLOGY - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe 7 Deployment Evaluates the options that the vendor offers concerning the solution deployment (whether or not the provider has in-house or system integration partners). Weight: ❶ Ranking: - In-house Development Services + System Integration Partner(s) points - In-house Development Services only points - System Integration Partner(s) only 1 point TERMINOLOGY Order Management Systems (OMS) - Order Management Systems are used to manage and organize received orders, monitor inventory levels, and communicate with the customer through the different stages of the purchasing cycle. OMS's can also organize orders by customers and priority, reserve inventory in the warehouse system and generate expected delivery dates. Marketing Platforms - How do you stay in touch with your customers if you have thousands, or millions, of them? marketing platforms offer businesses the ability to easily and automatically send order confirmations, shipping notices and targeted promotions to individual customers or custom-built lists of customers. The most popular marketing platforms integrate directly with your ecommerce platform and/or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system so there is a seamless flow of customer data and detailed campaign reports. Ratings/Reviews Platforms - Ratings & Reviews platforms have become an industry standard for ecommerce websites. Some of the first things a prospective customer looks for when researching a product or service are reviews from people who have already used that product or service. Integrating a Ratings & Reviews platform into product pages helps customers make informed purchasing decisions reducing returns, improving conversions and strengthening your brand. Fulfillment Services - rd-party fulfillment service providers specialize in warehousing, shipping and returns for retailers that do not have the resources or capability to do so inhouse. Fulfillment partners have steadily emerged alongside the ecommerce industry as more businesses are realizing the benefits of outsourcing what can be a very complex and expensive process. Payment Gateways - Payment Gateways act as a digital point of sale system for retailers, integrating directly with ecommerce platforms other back-end systems. The main functionality of a payment gateway is to verify and authorize credit card transactions through secure, encrypted exchanges.

6 ANALYSIS - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe ANALYSIS Order Management Systems Edge Micros NetSuite OMX Order Dynamics Shopatron SLA ❶ API ❸ Integration Support & Documentation ❸ Post Production Support ❸ 1 /7 Emergency Support❸ Security ❷ Deployment ❶ Marketing exact target Bronto ecircle (Teradata) Listrak SailThru SLA ❶ API ❸ Integration Support & Documentation ❸ Post Production Support ❸ /7 Emergency Support❸ Security ❷ Deployment ❶ 1 Ratings Bazaarvoice ekomi Listrak PowerReviews Shopzilla SLA ❶ API ❸ Integration Support & Documentation ❸ Post Production Support ❸ /7 Emergency Support❸ Security ❷ Deployment ❶

7 Ful llment Services FiftyOne Bongo International International Checkout TradeGlobal (Filltek) Borderfree SLA ❶ API ❸ Integration Support & Documentation ❸ Post Production Support ❸ /7 Emergency Support❸ Security ❷ Deployment ❶ Payment Cybersource Ingenico (Ogone) Adyen Worldpay OptimalPayments SLA ❶ API ❸ Integration Support & Documentation ❸ Post Production Support ❸ /7 Emergency Support❸ Security ❷ Deployment ❶

8 CONCLUSION - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe 7 CONCLUSION Based on the results of the analysis, we are able to draw the following conclusions about the rd-party ecommerce provider network in Europe: Order Management Systems Shopatron Order Dynamics..0 While SLA and API were strong on all accounts, the order management systems section had among all categories the lowest performing solution Edge in Integration Support & Documentation and Post Production Support. Netsuite OMX Micros Edge..1. This is not however indicative of overall poor performance among OMS solutions, rather a stark disparity in products on the marketplace. 100% of the remaining ratings for all products were in the - range, with NetSuite OMX and Order Dynamics boasting the highest ratings, with mostly across the board. Marketing Platforms marketing platforms in the study had comparative performance ratings across the board, barring a few exceptions. In SLA, API and /7 Emergency Support, the products were identical. The most substantial variations are found in Integration Support & Documentation and Post Production Support, with Listrak ranking the lowest on both accounts. ecircle (Teradata) and Bronto ranked the highest above all on average, with 's in all categories except in /7 Emergency Support ('s) and Security ('s). SailThru Listrak ecircle Bronto exact Target

9 Ratings & Review Platforms Shopzilla Listrak PowerReviews.6 The ratings & reviews platforms had dramatic variations in performance, with key advantages and disadvantages prompting careful consideration of one's business goals before choosing a solution. The clear winners are Listrak and Bazaarvoice, but for different reasons. Bazaarvoice has weaknesses in Post Production Support, where Listrak's lies in Integration Support & Documentation. ekomi Bazaarvoice.69.7 For the remaining products, one should take note of cases in which no information was found before making a decision about selection. Ful llment Platforms The study's fulfillment platforms are most notably different because of varying availability of information about their features. With this in mind, consider your need for Integration Support & Documentation, /7 Emergency Support, Security and Deployment before making a decision. By ranking alone, Bongo International and TradeGlobal are the clear winners, with Bongo International's strengths in Security and Deployment, TradeGlobal's in Integration Support & Documentation and Post Production Support. A highly refined understanding of your business needs is necessary, in this case. Borderfree TradeGlobal Inter. Checkout Bongo International FiftyOne Payment Gateways Worldplay Ayden Payone Ingenico Cybersource The payment gateways section was the bestperforming of them all. As the results show, all of the providers scored 's across the board. This can be deceptive, though, as not all platforms are really the same. While the five providers we examined offer similar levels of features, service and security, there will undoubtedly be nuances that only you can uncover by looking at your business needs and challenges.

10 OTHER POPULAR RD PARTY SYSTEMS - The Ecommerce Ecosystem in Europe 9 OTHER POPULAR RD PARTY SYSTEMS On-demand ecommerce platforms accommodate the extensive customization and integration required to deliver an engaging and pleasant online shopping experience. That means retailers can opt to integrate many applications and rd-party platforms to enhance their websites, using dozens of different kinds of software. In addition to the major categories analyzed in this white paper, there are many other categories to consider when building-out or improving your ecommerce solution. Click Tracking CMS Analytics Omnichannel Solutions Thank You for Reading! For more information on OSF Global Services digital commerce and optimization services, please check out our website: For more valuable insights, access our entire library. Share with friends and colleagues: End-to-end ecommerce services, cutting edge solutions and best-practice methodologies to help you: Enable your Website Increase Conversion Rates Expand Globally All trademarks and trade names mentioned herein are the properties of their respective holders and hereby acknowledged.